Since the Berlin Charge was part of the Buckeystown Circuit, the first pastor, Rev. Joseph Spangler, who served for seven years, travelled by horse and buggy and at times by canal boat to conduct services.

    The first Sunday School was organized in 1852. History records the names of B. F. Sigafoose and Mrs. Mary Virginia Hogan for this project.For over twenty years the small log cabin served as the community's only worship center. The sanctuary was on the main floor and a balcony provided space for the slaves who brought their folks to worship. During the Civil War, the log structure saw use as a hospital for wounded soldiers.

    With a growing congregation and a need to find higher ground above flood level, the site of the present sanctuary was purchased from Mary and Adam Ridenbaugh for $60 in 1870. A frame structure built for the congregation of 150 people served the community until 1893. Adam Ridenbaugh, Thomas Watts, Henry Lapole, James McGaha and William Sigafoose were trustees during this period. These facilities were made available to several denominations interested in becoming established. In 1891, the Lutheran group, in 1892, the Presbyterian Church and the Reformed Church, met here to organize and hold early services. In 1893, a Southern Methodist group was formed to serve the "East End" and New York Hill worshipers. With the growing population, extensive improvements were necessary in 1893. The congregation moved to the Opera House while the sanctuary was remodeled and a modern belfry was built. The BrunsunckHerald of December 1, 1893 recorded, "It is now a roomy and neat building and in keeping with modern architecture." The present brick structure was erected in 1907 under Rev. W. D. Parry, while the congregation worshiped in a tent on "A" Street opposite the parsonage. In 1938 the adjoining property north of the church was purchased for an educational unit. Construction began in 1941 as the congregation worshiped at the Imperial Theatre. The sanctuary was remodeled, featuring stained glass windows. The educational unit included modern classrooms, Fellowship Hall, Junior Chapel, and office. From 1959 on, an A.A. Chapter was organized, the kindergarten was started, the steeple was completed with a struck clock, chimes, night illumination; air conditioning was installed in the sanctuary.

    A library was organized and a Stair-Glide elevator was installed.

    Rev. Charles Ely, Dr. Norman Trott, Rev. William Warner, Rev. John Hamilton, and Rev. Harry Ledgard served during these improvements.

    Late in 1989, First Methodist Church joined with the New York Hill Methodist Church to form the Brunswick United Methodist Cooperative Parish, with each congregation continuing to meet in their respective buildings but sharing one pastor, Rev. George Earl.

    In 1901 a church, rectory, school and convent were built on the present site at B Street and First Avenue under the direction of Fr. James O'Connell.

    Lay teachers taught at the Parochial School from 1904 until the Baltimore Ursuline Sisters took charge of the school in 1910. There were four sisters who resided in the convent house adjacent to the school, and these four sisters taught all twelve grades, each teaching three grades per classroom. By 1922 the school had an enrollment of 82 pupils— 40 girls and 42 boys—according to records in the Archdiocese of Baltimore archives.

    In the very late 1920s the Sisters left the school and the liffle parochial school was again under the tutelage of lay teachers. At that time, only the elementary grades—one through eight—were offered. The school continued in operation until it closed its doors in 1938.

    Grace Chapel was built in 1892 at the southwest corner of "A" Street and Second Avenue and was consecrated September 12, 1893, in services conducted by Bishop Paret and rector Rev. E. T. Helfenstein (later to become Fishop of Maryland), among others.

    The brick chapel was about one-fourth the area of the present church. Bricks from earlier edifices of the mother church at St. Mark's were used in its foundation. The late E. Virginia Wenner, born in 1892, was the first baby baptized in the chapel.

    The chapel was razed in 1922 to make room for a larger church on the same site. The cornerstone of present Grace Episcopal Church was placed May 31, 1922, in services conducted by Rt. Rev. John Gardner Murray, DD, Bishop of Maryland, assisted by Rev.Edward Elliott Burgess, rector. The new church had a seating capacity of about 320 and was dedicated on May 21,1923. After the debt had been paid, the church was consecrated on May 21, 1928. Charles T. Meyer directed the choir and Mrs. Thelma Nixon was organist. Mrs. Nome (Julia) Conway, organist, and Mrs. Charles (Faye) Gross, director and organist, were other long-term choir leaders. Mr. Frank R. Watson of Philadelphia was architect of this medieval, modified Gothic English, countrystyle church. Four large round pillars support the nave roof and the arches that separate the nave from the side section; the masons insisted to the architect that the arches would never stay up! Instead of using a regular keystone, Mr. Watson himself installed Gothic keystones—two stones with the pint at the middle of the arch. The church and its arches have remained these 67 years. The altar is of Indiana limestone, and is a memorial to GarlandAlder, son of of the merchant Frank Alder and his wife. Garland died in military service in World War I. The bishop's chair and Caen stone font used in the chapel are still used in the present church as is the bell, which is housed in a stone bell-cote surmounted by a stone cross.

    The two-manual Moller organ with electropneumatic action was installed in 1923.

    The reredos triptych was installed in memory of Rev. Mr. Burgess (priest 1914-1933) during Father Thomas Withey's tenure (1940-1945). The latter also developed the room under the sacristy into a chapel, which was completely renovated in 1987 and blessed by Bishop A. Theodore Eastman in memory of Eugenia Deener.

    The open undercroft was divided into four classrooms, two restrooms, and assembly room; and the attic area above the sacristy was converted into a church office. (Fr. A. Dickerson Salmon,19631970).Replacement of the original windows by memorial stained glass windows has been ongoing under Fr. James C. Fenhagen (1955-58), Fr. Salmon, and Fr. Thomas Staup (1970-present).

    A record of the many memorials is kept by the Altar Guild.

S - A church committee of 1973
   - Newspaper arUcles
   - Father Tom Staup

    During the late 1890s, the church had bought from the B&O RR a lot on the corner of "A" Street and First Avenue, where the present church is located, and planned to relocate there.

    Through the will of Mr. Joseph Waltman (died 1870), a Lutheran, the congregation, upon its organization, was entitled to one acre of land and a cemetery, located in the west end of town. This land was sold to buy the lot on "A" Street for the church. The first church property was sold in 1903 and the congregation worshiped in Wenner's Hall until the new church was built.

    The cornerstone of the present church was laid on August 14,1904. The first service was held in the basement of the church on January 8, 1905. The building, dedicated on July 16,1905, cost $3,100 and contained about $1,000 worth of furnishings.

    When the church was dedicated, the amount of the remaining debt, $1,293, was decreased by a collection that day of $1,068.60. The service was conducted by Pastor Hess, with other clergy taking part.

    The large memorial window in the back of the church was a gift of the congregation in recognition of the valued gifts of Mr. Joseph Waltman (18001870). The communion service was given by Dr. A. G. Horine, five silver offering plates were given by the Frederick Lutheran Church, and the lectern, pulpit and baptismal font were made by the local furniture company of Messrs. C. H. Feete and Brothers. A new Estey organ containing 392 reeds was in use.

    The floor of the church was covered with Flemish tapestry. Oak-finished opera chairs were placed in a circular formation. The nave and chancel were artistically decorated by Mr. J. F. Bittle, a member of the congregation. The ceiling was painted to present an array of colors blending in with the painting in the chancel. The stone chips for sidewalks around the church were given by the B&O RR.

    The parsonage was built in 1916, facing First Avenue. Helping to pay a great deal of the cost was the Ladies' Mite Society, organized in 1893. In 1932, the group furnished funds for the remodeling of the church and raised additional money for rebuilding the organ later.

    Bethany became self-supporting in 1917 and debt-free between 1920 and 1923.In 1932 the church was remodeled and rededicated October 2, 1932, with a new floor, oak pews, new choir loft, remodeled chancel, new lighting fixtures, kitchen, furnace room, and toilet.A two-manual Moeller pipe organ, a gift of the YMCA, was rebuilt and dedicated in 1935. That same year the reredos, baptismal font, pulpit, lectern, and altar linens were bought.

    In 1936 and 1937, stained glass windows were installed in the church, and in 1942, they were put in the vestibules.

    The Rev. Jeffrey Truscott, formerly of Chicora, Pa., became minister of Bethany Church in 1988. An accomplished musician, he sometimes plays the piano, organ, and trumpet in church.

    The church has had 33 ministers over its history, with Rev. J. W. Seay staying the longest, about eight years. Consideration of a new parsonage resulted in a $48,000 structure at 30 Eighth Avenue being realized after the arrival of Rev. George Earl. $300 was spent for the same purpose in 1897.

    Late in 1989, New York Hill Methodist joined with First United Methodist to become the Brunswick United Methodist Cooperative Parish with each congregation continuing to meet in their respective buildings but sharing one pastor, Rev. George Earl.

    The Presbyterian Church building later saw use as a residence and was subsequently razed when the site was acquired by the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in 1937 for its new church building.

    Early records of the church are not available as the services were held in private homes. Later services were held at what was known as the "Corn Crib" on the nearby Charles Wenner farm.

    The first members of the church were baptized in the Potomac River; later a pool on the premises of Mrs. Sara Jane Scott, who lived on Center Street, was used until the first church was built around 1924.

    The original church structure was razed and the present building was completed in August 1975 on the same site.

    A religious census revealed 16 members of missionary Baptist churches; evangelistic meetings were held in December with good results.

    The First Baptist Church was organized with 30 members on roll at the Redmen's Hall on January 21, 1906, and Rev. Porter accepted the call to be pastor. Mr. James P. Roby and Mr. Harry S. Yost were the first deacons. Mrs. Barbara (Mrs. James P.) Roby was elected treasurer.The organization of the First Baptist Church in January, the reception of the Church in the Western District Baptist Association in June, the incorporation of the Church in August, and the reception of the Church into the fellowship of the Maryland Baptist Union Association in October all occurred in 1906.

    Pastor Porter led in securing the present site as a gift from the Real Estate and Improvement Company of Baltimore City, which handled the matter for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. On Tuesday, July 28, 1908, the laying of the cornerstone took place with a Masonic ceremony. Dr. E. B. Hatcher, executive secretary of the Maryland Baptist Union Association, who had been closely associated with this church from the beginning, led in prayer. Dr. J. R. Stratton of Baltimore brought the address. The first service was held in the basement of the new building on January 1,1909. The Thanksgiving Service was held there on November 25, 1909 with the Methodist and Lutheran churches participating. This fellowship with the churches in Brunswick has continued through the years.

    Revivals have always been used in this church, and 140 new members were received by Baptism from two revivals in 1914-15. Education has been a vital part of the church program, and it held its first Vacation Church School in 1927. Because of a growing Sunday School, the house at 201 North Maple Avenue was purchased, remodeled and dedicated as the Educational Annex in June 1955.

    In 1979, a group from First Baptist formed Faith Baptist Church on Jefferson Pike near Petersville, Md.

    The congregation met in the Pythian Hall until 1910 when the building at 122 West Potomac Street was dedicated. The church was combined with Knoxville on June 14, 1914, with Burkittsville on April 15, 1936, and Lovettsville, Va., in the early 1940's to become charges as directed by the Classics, now known as Synod.

    A support group, the Mite Society, whose name was changed to the Aid Society in 1915, then to Pastor's Aid Societyin 1943, and finally toWomen's Guild in 1945, sponsored activities to promote fellowship and to help with expenses.

    The church's name was changed in early 1950's to United Church of Christ following a merger. The last service held in the church sanctuary was on December 27, 1968, with a service of Holy Communion conducted by Rev. Mary Wench.

    In 1920 a fran\me church was built on the site while Rev. Armstrong was pastor, and during his time an organ was purchased. was The church closed for a while but reopened with a Sunday School in full operation under George A. Hardy, Sr. Sunday School teachers were Ms. Winfield Bell, Maude Bell, Edna Holland, and Mrs. Thomas. A fire, due to faulty wiring, caused the church to again close in 1962 during repairs. Rev. Louis Bowie arrived in 1964 and he arranged for a furnace and improvements in the basement to provide kitchen and dining facilities and bathrooms.

    On May 12, 1979, a large group of friends and neighbors began an improvement project and, with whites and blacks working together, a sidewalk was laid, the church was painted and new steps were built.

    In 1987 an extensive reconstruction program was undertaken with the result that a new church building, almost three times the size of the original structure, was completed and placed in service.

    The B&O RR donated a bell to the church.

    When the synagogue was no longer in use for religious purposes, various adaptive uses were made of it. The chronology of these uses may not be exact: Dr. Charles Pruitt opened his first office in Brunswick in this building on the main floor in about 1947. Th`` Public Health Clinic was at one time located on the lower level. Dr. Kao also used the building briefly. It served as Red Cross headquarters, and the late dentist Paul Shafer started his practice upstairs. The main floor has been used for storage, and the basement was converted to an apartment.

S - Earl L. Baker, grandson of H. N. Werntz
   - Amos Kaplon tape

    About 1925 land was purchased at 503 Brunswick Street, where first services were held in a tent. Later a tabernacle was built there, and after a fourweek revival, led by Rev. John H. Gonso and Rev. S. A. Kipe, the Church of God was organized on September 27, 1926 with 53 charter members. The Sunday School followed on October 3,1926 with 50 members.

    Rev. Kipe laid the cornerstone for the bethel at 3:30 PM on Sunday, November 14, 1926, and the dedication was held on February 26, 1927. The building was later brick-cased, and a Fellowship Hall was added to the back of the church in 1987, the 60th anniversary of the dedication.

    The church is one of 22 in the Maryland and Virginia Conference, which is one of 15 comprising the Churches of God, General Conference. The denomination was founded in Harrisburg in 1825 under the direction of John Winebrenner. Administrative offices are in Findlay, Ohio. The conference operates Findlay College and Winebrenner Seminary.

    Mission work is located in India, Bangladesh, Haiti and in New Mexico with the Navajo Indians. The Brunswick church supports Bimal and Annie Tudo as missionaries in Khanjanpur.

    Pastors who have served since its beginning are Rev. George E. Masser, S. A. Kipe, William Herpich, Charles Miles, John Myers, Cronise Barr, Clair Ebersole, Gerald Carbaugh, Harold Beck, Frank True, and James Keyser, the present pastor.

    Several members of the church have entered the ministry: (1) Preston Lucas; (2) his son, Army Lt. Col. Thomas Lucas; (3) Air Force Major Wayne Gosnell; and (4) James Painter.

    Rev. Spencer moved on to establish a church in Culpeper, Virginia, while Rev. Nunly decided to pastor the local church. With the help of his small congregation he built a church on West B Street where he pastored for several years. The congregation grew.

    In 1979 under the leadership of Rev. James Holtz, the congregation began a larger and more modern church on a previously purchased lot at the corner of Route 17 and Souder Road. In March of 1980 Rev. Dr. Spencer, who had retired from the presidency of a New York Bible College, was called and returned to pastor the church which he helped start fifty years earlier.
    Rev. Ralph Campbell is pastor in 1990.
 
S-Rev. M. Q. Spencer

    The Christian and Missionary Alliance Church began in Brunswick, in the Brunswick Town Park during the summer of 1930, when sixteen weeks of evangelistic meetings were held by Miss Amy Main and her sisters. Those who found Christ as their personal savior during those meetings became the nucleus for the new church.

    That fall, the congregation moved into the YMCA Chapel for regular Sunday services and mid-week prayer meetings. It was here that they organized officially on February 14, 1932, with the Reverend Samuel W. McGarvy, District Superintendent, presiding.

    In December 1932, Rev. Vanus Smith was called as the first pastor, and the following year the group rented the Carlisle building on East Potomac Street (now the laundromat) as their first regular church home. As the new place of worship was adapted for services, a building fund was established with a permanent church home envisioned as the next step.

    In 1937, during the ministry of Rev. J. M. Walker, the property at 404 "A" Street was purchased. The house was demolished and construction got underway. The first services were held in the new church in October of 1939 and continued for 34 years.

    Serving as pastor during those years were: Rev. L. L. Meltzer, 1938-40; Rev. W. G. McVicker, 194043; Rev. T. C. Latshaw, 1944-50; Rev. F. J. Klein, 1951-60; and Rev. J. H. Senseny, 1960-65.

    In 1952, under the ministry of Rev. Klein, the parsonage at 405 "A" Street was purchased and used until Rev. R. W. Schenk became pastor in March 1966. Under Rev. Schenk's ministry, a property now known as 3525 A and B Petersville Road, Knoxville, was purchased in 1968 and a parsonage erected the same year.

    Rev. D. E. Walborn came to Brunswick in November 1970,and duringhis ministry, inJanuary 1973, ground was broken for the new sanctuary. The new church was dedicated on September 9, 1973.

    Rev. Jacob T. Traxler came to Brunswick in January 1977. In 1982 the congregation celebrated 50 years of ministry to this area. The Rev. Kevin Robbins succeeded Mr. Traxler several years ago.

    The Christian and Missionary Alliance is an evangelical denomination with emphasis on missions and evangelism. Their motto is "The Whole Bible to the Whole World," and its program is geared to the spiritual needs of the whole family.
 
S-Rev. Jacob T. Traxler

    Elder Johnson divided his time between the Apostolic Faith Churches in Brunswick and Havre de Grace until his passing in 1976. He was succeeded by Mrs. Henrietta Berry who had been his assistant in Brunswick and who continues to guide the activities of the church, including Sunday School, young people's activities, missionary programs and a social dinner which she prepares and serves after Sunday services.

S-Mrs. Henrietta Berry

    The program was expanded during the following year to include a children's organization, a women's organization, and a week-day early morning religion class for high school students. Growth in membership and activities necessitated moving to larger quarters in the Brunswick Elementary School in the fall of 1976.

    September 3,1978, the Brunswick congregation became an independent branch and the building formerly occupied by the     Assembly of God on West B Street was rented.

    In December 1985, the L.D.S. congregations in Frederick County were reorganized and the Brunswick and Middletown congregations combined to form the Jefferson Ward, so named for the community centrally located for the group.

    The Latter Day Saints Church sponsored a scout troop which provided scouting programs for boys, whether L.D.S. members or not, and produced two eagle scouts, Jonathan Allgaier and Jack Bacorn.
 
S-Dr.Wayne Allgier

    The association's activities and programs over the years have included joint church services at Thanksgiving and Easter, a week of prayer the first week of January, and the three-hour Good Friday observances in the various churches. The association has encouraged all churches to provid" Thanksgiving and Christmas boxes to the needy.

    The Ministerium provides chaplains to the Fire Company, the Ambulance Company, and the Police Department and Town Council when needed. They also have provided speakers for school activities and graduation. In the early 1980's they sponsored food banks for collecting government surplus cheese and dry milk, which were distributed by the churches and other organizations to senior citizens and those in need.

    They have provided emergency help such as medical supplies and utilities to local citizens, and, on occasion, to transients.

    The Ministerium conducted a religious census of the community. It provided upon request chaplains to the various local organizations, and speakers at school activities as requested. There were also special occurrences. When President Roosevelt died, pastor Carmack was requested to speak to students at Brunswick High School. When the Revised Standard Version of the Bible of 1952 brought about so much discussion, the association sponsored a presentation on it at the high school by Dr. Edward Bauman, minister of Foundry Methodist Church, Washington, D.C. Discussions at their meetings relate to community problems; individual needs such as mental health, social services, and the health clinic; national situations; and common needs, such as services, programs, future plans of the churches, and other topics of mutual interest.

    Throughout the years the members enjoyed the fellowship that provided an opportunity to discuss topics of mutual interest, to become better acquainted as individuals, to appreciate what each was doing, and to enrich each others' spiritual lives.

S - Rev. Leonard Carmack, First Baptist Church
   - Rev. Ralph Miller, Lutheran Church
   - Rev. Thomas Staup, Grace Episcopal

    The WestinghouseAirBrake Co. advertisedits continuous train brakes in RAILWAYAGEofJune 17,1876. This made a revolutionary change. "That and automatic couplers were the greatest improvement on the American railroad since the invention of the steam engine," says Thomas Marcum, who worked on the Baltimore Division as a brakeman from 1940 to 1983.

    That Mr. and Mrs. William Schnauffer, parents of Pat, William, West, and Elisa, presented Johns Hopkins University at its 25th anniversary $25for thefirst brick in the new university buildings, in memory of his mother, Elise W. Schnauffer.